Roman Catholic Bishop Alberto Rojas, who oversees roughly one million parishioners in the Diocese of San Bernardino, has made the extraordinary decision to allow congregants to stay home and not attend Mass if they fear being caught in immigration enforcement sweeps.
In Roman Catholic theology, one of the five precepts of the Church is the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays. Failure to fulfill this obligation without just cause is considered a mortal sin, which, if unrepented, can lead to damnation.
Rather than encouraging illegal immigrants to turn themselves in for their crimes, Bishop Rojas is doing the opposite. Noting that many congregants may have “fears of attending Mass due to potential immigration enforcement actions” and that “such fear constitutes a grave inconvenience that may impede the spiritual good of the faithful,” Rojas cites his discretion to “dispense the faithful from universal and particular disciplinary laws” so that failure to attend, at least for the time being, is no longer a mortal sin.
In lieu of attending, Rojas encourages those who will not be present to engage in alternative spiritual practices, such as praying the Rosary, reading the Bible, and participating in online or televised Masses from “reputable Catholic sources.”
One response to “CA Catholic Bishop Gives Illegal Immigrants A ‘Dispensation From the Obligation to Attend Mass’ if They Fear ICE”
Dispense all the illegal aliens to this bishop’s cell after arresting him.